Professor Edith Hall

He may have committed murder. He may have murdered the tyrant. He's become... King or tyrant, which means somebody who's come into monarchical power, but not through hereditary. Yeah. And he invites Aristotle over, apparently, to help him write a constitution.

It's either Hermias' daughter or his adopted daughter or possibly his niece. But anyway, it's a posh woman in his court. Called Pythias. Called Pythias. Yeah. What's that mean? Well, it means like the sort of big snake at Delphi. The python. Yeah. But that's okay. Sort of snakey lady. Snakey lady. What should we call our daughter? Snake lady.

It's either Hermias' daughter or his adopted daughter or possibly his niece. But anyway, it's a posh woman in his court. Called Pythias. Called Pythias. Yeah. What's that mean? Well, it means like the sort of big snake at Delphi. The python. Yeah. But that's okay. Sort of snakey lady. Snakey lady. What should we call our daughter? Snake lady.

Well, it's possible, but it's also possible that she actually died in childbirth.

Well, it's possible, but it's also possible that she actually died in childbirth.

In which case it would have been very natural to call the little girl Pythias. Oh, that's sad. Oh, right, so we don't know? We don't really know.

In which case it would have been very natural to call the little girl Pythias. Oh, that's sad. Oh, right, so we don't know? We don't really know.

It's interesting what we know and don't know.

It's interesting what we know and don't know.

He does refer, though, to people who send babies out to wet nurses quite often.

He does refer, though, to people who send babies out to wet nurses quite often.

Very much so. There are three big cities. The biggest is Mytilene. And it's a place of great culture. It's deeply cultured. Right. Very ancient. It's had the poet Sappho. It's had another very famous poet called Alcaeus. It's already in the Iliad as the land of fair women. Also got the most extraordinary natural world.

Very much so. There are three big cities. The biggest is Mytilene. And it's a place of great culture. It's deeply cultured. Right. Very ancient. It's had the poet Sappho. It's had another very famous poet called Alcaeus. It's already in the Iliad as the land of fair women. Also got the most extraordinary natural world.

I mean, it's got, botanists today will say, it's got outstanding amount of really interesting plants that don't exist anywhere else. And it's got this massive lagoon, which is a lake, which is mainly freshwater, but it actually blurs into saltwater and meets the sea. And it had such an amazing amount of interesting creatures living in it that Aristotle said, I know what I want to be now.

I mean, it's got, botanists today will say, it's got outstanding amount of really interesting plants that don't exist anywhere else. And it's got this massive lagoon, which is a lake, which is mainly freshwater, but it actually blurs into saltwater and meets the sea. And it had such an amazing amount of interesting creatures living in it that Aristotle said, I know what I want to be now.

I'm going to be a marine zoologist. Did he invent that? Yeah. Wow.

I'm going to be a marine zoologist. Did he invent that? Yeah. Wow.

You know, the original Addams Family movie, not the TV series, they have a pet octopus. Yeah. Because it's a cephalopod. Do you know what they call it? Aristotle. Yeah.

You know, the original Addams Family movie, not the TV series, they have a pet octopus. Yeah. Because it's a cephalopod. Do you know what they call it? Aristotle. Yeah.

I don't think so. The fact is he got a very good friend, either already had or more likely made. But there was this young guy, he was 17 years younger than him, so about 20, called Theo Fraster, who means speaks like a god. And he is a lesbian. He lives on Lesbos. Stop it. Right. I'm just mirroring what you're saying. He's obsessed with plants.